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dame football

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Notre Dame helmet The Fighting Irishman Interlocking ND Symbol

The University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish, sometimes called Notre Dame or the Irish, is an American football team that competes as an Independent school in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I-A. Over the past century, the Irish have grown into one of the most successful and popular sports teams in the United States, enabling the university to negotiate its own national television contract for their home games with NBC—a feat unheard of in United States amateur sports. The university is one of two Catholic universities that field a team in Division I-A, the other being rival Boston College. The team plays its home games at Notre Dame Stadium, which is located on-campus and seats over 80,000 people, comparable in size to many professional American football venues. Notre Dame claims 11 National Championships in football, the most of any current Division-I football program.

History

The beginning (1887 - 1917)

American football did not have an auspicious beginning at the University of Notre Dame. In their inaugural game on November 23 1887 the Irish lost to the University of Michigan Wolverines by a score of 8-0. Their first win came in the final game of the 1888 season when the Irish defeated Harvard Prep by a score of 20-0. At the end of the 1888 season they had a record of 1-3 with all three losses being at the hands of Michigan by a combined score of 43-9. Between 1887 and 1899 Notre Dame compiled a record of 31 wins, 15 losses, and 4 ties against a diverse variety of opponents ranging from local high school teams to other universities.

At the beginning of the 20th century college football began to increase in popularity and became more standardized with the introduction of the Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States (IAAUS) in 1906. That organization would become the NCAA in 1910. Notre Dame continued its success during this time and achieved their first victory over Michigan in 1909 by the score of 11-3 after which Michigan refused to play Notre Dame again for 33 years. By the end of the 1912 season they had amassed a record of 108 wins, 31 losses, and 13 ties.

Jessie Harper became head coach in 1913 and remained so until he retired in 1917. During his tenure the Irish began playing only intercollegiate games and posted a record of 34 wins, 5 losses, and 1 tie. This period would also mark the beginning of the rivalry with Army and the continuation of rivalries with Michigan State.

The Rockne Era (1918 - 1930)

Knute Rockne became head coach in 1918 and ushered in one of the most famous and successful chapters in Notre Dame football history. Under Rockne the Irish would post a record of 105 wins, 12 losses, and 5 ties. During his 13 years, the longest tenure of any coach to date, the Irish won 6 national championships, had 5 undefeated seasons, won the Rose Bowl in 1925, and produced many legendary players such as the "Four Horsemen". Rockne has the highest win percentage (.881) in college football history.

Among the events that occurred during Rockne’s tenure none is more famous than the Rockne’s Win one for the Gipper speech. George "the Gipper" Gipp was a very successful player on Rockne’s earlier teams and tragically died of pneumonia in 1920. Army came into the 1928 matchup undefeated and was the clear favorite. Notre Dame, on the other hand, was having their worst season under Rockne’s leadership and entered the game with a 4-2 record. At the end of the half Army was leading and looked to be in command of the game. Rockne entered the locker room and gave his account of Gipp’s final words: "I've got to go, Rock. It's all right. I'm not afraid. Some time, Rock, when the team is up against it, when things are wrong and the breaks are beating the boys, tell them to go in there with all they've got and win just one for the Gipper. I don't know where I'll be then, Rock. But I'll know about it, and I'll be happy." The speech, although possibly fictional, inspired the team and they went on to upset Army and win the game 12-5.

Rockne died in a plane crash in Kansas while on his way to help in the production of the film The Spirit of Notre Dame in 1930. He was the subject of the 1940 film Knute Rockne, All American.

After Rockne (1931 to 1941)

Upon Rockne’s death Heartly "Hunk" Anderson took the helm of the Irish leading them to a record of 16 wins, 9 losses, and two ties. Anderson was a former Irish player under Rockne and at the time of his death was serving as Rockne’s assistant coach.

Anderson resigned as Irish head coach in 1934 and was replaced by Elmer Layden, who was one of Rockne’s "Four Horsemen" in the 1920’s. After graduating, Layden played professional American football for one year and then began a coaching career. The Irish posted a record of 47 wins, 13 losses, and 3 tie in 7 years under Layden. He left the team in 1940 to become Commissioner of the National Football League (NFL).

The Leahy Era (1941 – 1953)

Frank Leahy was hired by Notre Dame to take over for Layden in 1941, and was another former Irish player that played during the Rockne Era. After graduating from Notre Dame, Leahy had a variety of coach positions including line coach of the infamous "Seven Blocks of Granite" of Fordham University that helped that team to win all but two games between 1935 and 1937. He then coached the Boston College Eagles to a win in the 1941 Sugar Bowl. His move to Notre Dame would inaugurate a new period of spectacular gridiron success for the Irish and would insure Leahy's place among the very greatest coaches in the history of college football.

Leahy would be the Irish’s head coach for 11 seasons from 1941 to 1943 and 1946 to 1953. He has the second highest winning percentage (.864) of any college coach in history. He led the Irish to a record of 87 wins, 11 losses, and 9 ties including 39 games without a loss (37-0-2), four national championships, and six undefeated seasons. A fifth national championship was lost because of a tie in 1953 against Iowa, in a game that caused a minor scandal at the time, when it appeared that some Irish players had faked injuries to stop the clock. Leahy retired in 1954 due to health reasons.

From 1944 to 1945, Leahy served in the U.S. Navy and was honorably discharged as a Lieutenant. Ed McKeever, Leahy’s assistant coach, became interim head coach while Leahy was in the Navy. During his one year at the helm the Irish managed 8 wins and 2 losses. McKeever left Notre Dame in 1945 to take over as head coach of Cornell University. McKeever was replaced by Hugh Devore for the 1945 season and led the Irish to 7 wins, 2 losses, and 1 tie.

After Leahy (1954 – 1963)

The departure of Leahy ushered in a downward slope in Notre Dame’s performance. Terry Brennan was hired as the Notre Dame head coach in 1954 and would stay until 1958. He departed with a respectable total of 32 wins and 18 losses. But note: the 32 wins included 17 in 1954 and 1955. Thereafter his record would be a mediocre 15-15. Brennan was a former player under Leahy and before joining the Irish had coached the Mount Carmel High School team in Chicago, Illinois and later the freshman squad at Notre Dame. His first two seasons were successful and the Irish were ranked 4th and 9th respectively. However, in the light of what would follow those first seasons, some observers began to wonder if Brennan's early success owed more to the residual effects of Leahy's coaching on Brennan's first two cadres than it did to any notable brilliance of his own. It was the 1956 season that began to darken his reputation, for it became one of the most dismal in the team’s history and saw them finish the season with a mere 2 wins, including crushing losses to Michigan State, Oklahoma, and Iowa. The Irish would recover the following season, posting not only a respectable record of 7 wins and 3 losses but including in their wins a stunning upset of Oklahoma, in Norman, that ended the Sooners' still-standing record of 47 consecutive wins. In Brennan’s final season, though, finished with a mere 6 wins and 4 losses, acceptable at many places but a severe disappointment at Notre Dame. Brennan left the Irish to become the conditioning coach for the Cincinnati Reds.

Fifty years after Brennan's appointment, one could look back at Notre Dame' hiring policies and notice a curious pattern: the recurrent hiring of inexperienced coaches in the wake of legends. Brennan following Leahy; Gerry Faust following the hall-of-fame tandem of Parseghian and Devine; and, finally, Davie following Lou Holtz. In each case the Irish had hired a youthful coach with no experience as a head coach, and in each case the choices led to bitter disappointment on the field

Joe Kuharich took over for Brennan in 1963 and to date remains the only Irish head coach to leave the team with a losing record. During his 4 year tenure as coach, the Irish finished with 17 wins and 23 losses and they never finished better than .500 in a season. Hugh Devore once again filled in the gap between coaches and led the Irish to yet another lackluster season in 1964, finishing with 5 wins and 5 losses.

The Parseghian Era (1964 - 1974)

Ara Parseghian was a former college football player for the Miami University Redskins until 1947 and became their assistant coach in 1950 and head coach in 1951, after a two year stint playing for the Cleveland Browns. In 1956 he moved to Northwestern University, where he stayed for eight years. In 1964 he was hired to replace Devore as head football coach and immediately brought the team back to their former levels of success. In his first year the Irish improved their record to 9 wins and 1 loss earning Parseghian coach of the year honors.

During his eleven year career, the Irish amassed a record of 95 wins, 17 losses, and 4 ties and captured two uncontested national championships. The Irish also had one undefeated season in 1973, had three major bowl wins in five appearances, and produced one Heisman Trophy winner. Parseghian was forced to retire after the 1974 season for medical reasons.

The Devine/Faust Era (1975 - 1985)

Dan Devine was hired to take over as head coach upon Parseghian's retirement in 1975. Devine was already a highly successful coach and had led Arizona State, Missouri, and the Green Bay Packers. When he arrived at Notre Dame he already had a college coaching record of 120 wins, 40 losses, and 8 ties and had led his teams to victory in 4 bowl games. At Notre Dame he would lead the Irish to 53 wins, 16 losses, and 1 tie. The Irish were winners of 3 major bowl games and captured one national championship in 1977. Devine resigned as head football coach in 1980.

Gerry Faust was hired to replace Devine for the 1981 season. Prior to Notre Dame, Faust had been one of the more successful high school football coaches in the country. As coach of Moeller High School in Cincinnati, Ohio he amassed 174 wins, 17 losses, and 2 ties. Despite his success in the high school ranks, his success at Notre Dame was mixed. In his first season the Irish finished with 5 wins and 6 losses. The most successful years under Faust were the 1983 and 1984 campaigns where the Irish finished with 7 wins and three losses and made trips to the Liberty Bowl and Aloha Bowl respectively. Faust resigned at the end of the 1985 season to take over as head coach for the University of Akron.

The Holtz Era (1986 – 1996)

Lou Holtz had 17 years of coaching experience by the time he was hired to lead the Irish. He had previously been head coach of William and Mary, North Carolina State, Arkansas, and Minnesota. Holtz began in 1986 where his predecessor left off in 1985, finishing with an identical record of 5 wins and 6 losses. That would be his only losing season as he posted a record 95 wins, 24 losses, and 2 ties over the next ten seasons adding up to 100 wins, 30 losses, and 2 ties overall.

Holtz was named coach of the year in 1988, the same season he took Notre Dame to a win in the Fiesta Bowl; thus, capturing the National Championship. Overall, he took Notre Dame to one undefeated season, 9 consecutive New Year’s Day bowl games, and top 10 finishes in the AP poll in five seasons. Holtz retired from Notre Dame in 1996. He is currently a football analyst for ESPN.

The Davie/Willingham Era (1997-2004)

Also known as the "Black Hole Years", the football team reached a level of mediocrity rarely seen at any point in its established history.

Coached by Bob Davie for 5 years, the team suffered 3 Bowl losses (1997 Independence Bowl, 1998 Gator Bowl, 2000 Fiesta Bowl) and failed to qualify during two seasons, 1999 and 2001. The highlight of Davie's tenure may have been beating USC on three consecutive occasions, including the thrilling 25-24 victory at Notre Dame Stadium in 1999. The aforementioned 2000 Fiesta Bowl was Notre Dame's first invitation to the Bowl Championship Series. The 2001 squad was awarded the American Football Coaches Association Achievement Award for its 100% graduation rate.

Realizing the team was not progressing, the administration decided it was time to make a change. On Dec 9, 2001, Notre Dame hired George O'Leary to replace Davie. However, New Hampshire Union Leader reporter Jim Fennell—while researching a "local boy done good" story—uncovered discrepancies in his résumé. O'Leary resigned five days later before coaching a single practice.

In need of a coach, the school turned to Tyrone Willingham, who had been coaching at Stanford. Bringing a new feeling of change and excitement to campus, Ty energized the team in the Fall of 2002 by starting the season 8-0, with wins over #7 Michigan and #11 Florida State. Those eight games, however, would be the highlight of the Willingham's tenure, as Notre Dame finished the year with a heart-breaking loss to Boston College, being exposed by a very talented USC team, and suffering a depressing loss to NC State in the Gator Bowl. Things would not get better as the team compiled an 11-13 record over the next two years, and a multitude of terrible losses (2003: 38-0 Michigan, 45-14 USC, 37-0 FSU, 38-12 Syracuse, 27-25 Boston College; 2004: 41-16 Purdue, 41-10 USC, 24-23 Boston College, 38-21 Oregon State).

Alumni around the nation voiced their displeasure in the current state of Notre Dame football, though the firing of Willingham came as a surprise to most. However, good news was on the horizon for Notre Dame fans, as the latest coaching search found Charlie Weis, the highly successful Offensive Coordinator to the New England Patriots, ready to accept the job and return the program to prominence and its rightful place among the college football elite.

Current team

Charlie Weis became head football coach for the Irish beginning with the 2005 season. In his inaugural season he led Notre Dame to a record of 9 wins and 3 losses and a postseason appearance in the Fiesta Bowl, losing to Ohio State 34-20.

2005 Coaching Staff

• Charlie Weis - Head Coach
• Michael Haywood - Offensive Coordinator & Running Back Coach
• Rob Ianello - Recruiting Coordinator & Receiver Coach
• John Latina - Assistant Head Coach (Offense) & Offensive Line Coach
• Bill Lewis - Assistant Head Coach (Defense) & Defensive Back Coach
• Rick Minter - Defensive Coordinator & Linebacker Coach
• Jappy Oliver - Defensive Line Coach
• Bernie Parmalee - Tight End & Special Teams Coach
• Brian Polian - Assistant Defensive Backs & Special Teams Coach
• Peter Vaas - Quarterback Coach
• Shane Waldron - Offensive Graduate Assistant
• Jeff Burrow - Defensive Graduate Assistant

2005 Roster^[1]

Rivalries

Notre Dame's chief rival is the University of Southern California, followed by their natural enemy, the University of Michigan. They have maintained longtime annual series with Michigan State University, Purdue University, and Navy. In recent years, Notre Dame has played annually with Stanford University and Boston College, though the latter series will shortly be coming to an end.

Michigan Rivalry

Notre Dame and Michigan first played in 1887 in Notre Dame's introduction to football. Given both schools' rich history in college and their close geographical proximity, Michigan and Notre Dame would seem to be natural rivals. However, until 1978, they only played 11 times, primarily due to Michigan's reluctance to admit there was another midwestern powerhouse.

Since 1978, however, the series has been more or less continuous with Notre Dame ahead 12-9-1. Moreover, the game has often been a classic which has propelled this into a nationally televised can't-miss early season college football matchup.

Through the 2005 season, Michigan leads the overall series 18-14-1.

Series Factoids

• The Notre Dame-Michigan rivalry was written into "The Portland Trip," an episode of the TV show The West Wing. President Jed Bartlet (Martin Sheen), established on a previous episode as a graduate of Notre Dame, is talking to his White House Chief of Staff, Leo McGarry (John Spencer), on the tarmac at Andrews Air Force Base, where Air Force One is about to take off for a Presidential visit to Portland, Oregon the night before the two schools were to play. Unable to hear what Leo said to him, Bartlet says, "I thought you said, 'Michigan sucks.'" While the show has never explicitly said that Leo is a graduate of Michigan, this is implied when he answers, "No sir. We're standing close to the engines, so it may have sounded like I said, 'Notre Dame is going to get the ass-kicking they so richly deserve.'" The episode concludes before the game can begin, so the winner is not revealed. Ironically, in 2000, the year in which the episode aired, the two schools did not play each other.

USC Rivalry

The Notre Dame-USC rivalry has been played annually since 1926, except for a brief repose during World War II. In recent years, the game alternates between South Bend in mid-October and the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, USC's home field, in late November. Originally the game was played in both locations in late November, but because the poor weather during that time of the year at South Bend, USC insisted on having the game moved to October in 1961. There have been many memorable games. In 1964 Notre Dame was attempting to complete a perfect season and was heavily favored, but USC after trailing 17-0 at halftime won the game 20-17 to ruin the Irish's hopes of a National Championship. In 1966 undefeated Notre Dame, following its controverisal 10-10 tie with Michigan State, beat the Trojans 51-0 which was enough to impressed voters to give the Irish the number one ranking. In 1988 both teams entered the game undefeated and Notre Dame emerged on top 27-10 on its way to the National Championship. In 2005 Southern Cal came through with a dramatic last minute drive which culminated with a touchdown on the final play of the game to win 34-31.^[2] Notre Dame dominated the series from 1983-1995 compiling a record of 12-0-1 including 11 straight victories.

Through the 2005 season, Notre Dame leads 42-30-5. USC has won the last four contests in a row.

Series Factoids

• Several years ago, when Kathie Lee Gifford still co-hosted Live with Regis and Kathie Lee, it often has become a point of discussion on the show. Co-host Regis Philbin is a Notre Dame graduate, while former co-host Kathie Lee Gifford is married to Frank Gifford, a USC football legend who went on to play for the New York Giants and become one of the sport's great broadcasters.

All-time Records

For more details on this topic, see Notre Dame football yearly totals.

Notre Dame's all time record stands at 811 wins, 265 losses, and 42 ties. They have won a total of 11 national championships (1924, 1929, 1930, 1943, 1946, 1947, 1949, 1966, 1973, 1977, and 1988) and received mention in a further 10 national championships (1919, 1920, 1927, 1938, 1953, 1964, 1967, 1970, 1989, 1993).

Bowl Games

Notre Dame has made 27 Bowl appearances, winning 13 and losing 14.^[3] They have played in the Rose Bowl (1 win), the Cotton Bowl (5 wins, 2 losses), the Orange Bowl (2 wins, 3 losses), the Sugar Bowl (2 wins, 1 loss), the Gator Bowl (1 win), the Liberty Bowl (1 win), the Aloha Bowl (1 loss), the Fiesta Bowl (1 win, 2 losses), and the Independence Bowl (1 loss). Through the bowl games following the 2005 season, Notre Dame has lost 8 bowl games in a row.

Records of Head Football Coaches

Notable Alumni

Heisman Trophy winners^[4]

Seven Notre Dame football players have won the prestigious Heisman Trophy. As of 2005, Notre Dame and USC are tied for the most Heisman Trophy winners.

• Angelo Bertelli 1943
• Johnny Lujack 1947
• Leon Hart 1949
• Johnny Lattner 1953
• Paul Hornung 1956
• John Huarte 1964
• Tim Brown 1987

Other notable Alumni

• George "the Gipper" Gipp
• Daniel "Rudy" Ruettiger
• Joe Montana
• Joe Theismann
• Jerome Bettis
• Raghib "Rocket" Ismail
• Ricky Watters
• Ron Powlus

References

1. ^ 2005 Notre Dame Roster from Yahoo! Sports
2. ^ Seven Seconds for the Ages — SkilleZ's SportingBlog
3. ^ Notre Dame Bowl Game History — College Football Data Warehouse
4. ^ Heisman Trophy Winners — Heisman.com

• Notre Dame — College Football Data Warehouse
• History of Notre Dame Football Uniforms
• Notre Dame Football Archive
• Univeristy of Notre Dame Official Athletic Site Football Archive

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